[wolfhavyn]

:flame: Come home from work today to find that my husband has been in town fighting the county all day.
To back up a bit, we were informed that the county has "plans" for putting county water down our road. Now, we live on a little gravel road that's not even half a mile long and only has five homes/property owners on it. We were never approached by said county to see if we wanted water (which we don't; have a well). Neither do three of the other four households. We heard all this through the grapevine and went to the county ourselves.
So today my husband's sleep is interrupted (he works night shift) by a contractor that tells him that they are getting ready to put the water line in and they are going to have to dynamite the creek that's only about 85 yards from the house!! Only about forty yards from my poultry pen and my rabbit hutches!
I'm worried about my livestock. A series of blasts that close could very possibly cause heart attacks. I'm also conserned for the structural integrity of our home. Its an old farm house in need of a few structural repairs already. We also live in a karst area. There are caves and sinkholes aplenty. I'm having waking nightmares just thinking about all this!
All this after we were assured by this blasted county that they couldn't put water in for just one person; that all of us would have to sign up! Four of the five households on this road signed a statement declining water! Arrrhhhggg....sorry had to vent.

 

[patnewmex]

The county *may* have informed the community by way of a posted notice that you may likely did not see. Unfortunately I don't think they have to call or write individuals.

Sorry this is happening to you. The dynamiting sounds like a bad thing if you ask me!

I'd be peeved.

Pat

PS. Our teeny tiny community (less that 400) will be having a water treatment plant and city sewer lines (two different projects) and even if we already have a septic tank (that we dug and put in our selves) we will have to pay for the purified and sewer lines.

 

[Chas in Me]

Video your house. If blasting does damage it, you will be able to prove it with the video. Better yet, get an independent engineer to video the house. That will give you an expert witness in court if needed.

 

[FiddleKat]

What's the point of dynamiting the creek to put a water line in??
It seems to me they shouldn't be allowed to force people into things. Your poor livestock!

 

[wolfhavyn]

They are going to dynamite the creek because the county doesn't have the money for this special tool that is usually used to tunnel under roads, creeks, etc. When we asked asked what would happen if we lost livestock due to this or if our home was damaged they were very flippant about it. "Oh, we have insurance for that" was what they said. Insurance doesn't do a dang thing for my livestock. It might replace some of them but they aren't just dumb animals to me, ya know? :Bawling:
My DH is going to call the Kentucky Waterway Alliance in the a.m. to see if they can investigate the legalities of all this.

Maeghan

 

[js2743]

i dont think they are gonna use so much explosive to blow every thing up they will only use enough to crack the rocks and then remove them. i wouldnt think it would cause your livestock to have a heart attack all you will hear is a low sounding thud. you are thinking way to big of a explosion im sure the contractor thats doing it has done it many times before and if they blew every thing to smither reans then they would be out of business. im sure there has been gun shots in the area before i wonder how many animals you lost when that happened. sometimes animals have more since than people do they arent as scared as most think. and if you need water then just hold your ears and shut your eyes it will be over in a split second.

 

[Raptor]

I would contact an attorney for advice. How can the county,city or state put utilities in and force you to purchase the product? If that were the case and there were gas lines,cable tv,phone etc. etc. etc. you would be forced to purchase them? I don't think so.

 

[shadowwalker]

And I thought that underhanded stuff only was in TN. That's a cheap way for the city to get more revenue. You see they run a water line for miles down a road and get to MAKE you pay outragous fees for hooking you up. Here it's $1500.00 plus 100.00 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSITE.I like that non refundable deal. Also you will have to pay for the line that runs from your house, to their line. Did you know that? Well, for poor water pressure and intermitent outages of it. You get to pay for their contaminated water. Every month. But you still have to deal with your sewer! And now you got another person coming by the property for (Homeland Security). To help watch you, while they read the water meter.
Take pictures of your house walls and foundation fast! And well document the date. Here house walls and foundations cracked from the dynamiting. Get the county out if this happens, and don't tarry.
Here in lebanon. They have added a new tax onto the water bill..... To help pay for the new sewer the state is making them get because the old one is not working well. I really like paying for the sewer. And if I want to see it, because I won't get to use it. I have to drive only 18 miles!!!!!
And the dynamiting only 100 yards from our house??? The chickens, about half quit laying. For a couple weeks.

 

[wolfhavyn]

js2743...we don't need water we and all but one of our neighbors have a well, thats part of the problem. Our animals are about 45 yards from where they will be blasting. Before I moved here I lived in Maryland. Behind our house, about an eighth of a mile away they blasted bedrock while putting a subdivision in. Now, I realize that is not the same thing as dynamiting a creekbed but keep in mind that the distance was far greater. We had some structural cracks in our foundation from that. So, I guess you could say that I've been there done that, kinda. Maybe you're right....I hope you are, but what I've heard in the past was not a low sounding thud.

Raptor....We will be contacting a lawyer along with at least two of our neighbors. They haven't said that they will be forcing us to hook on but they are forcing part of this onto our land w/o our permission where there is no easement. Imminant Domain is what they call it. Just last Monday they said that the plans were off they couldn't do it. Now today an engineer shows up.

 

[Raptor]

Don't think you can get out of utility easements. The water lines here run ten feet inside our property. The power poles and guy wires are also inside the property line. We also live on a one lane gravel road.

 

[wolfhavyn]

The county road stops right past the bridge. After that its a private drive. They are putting a backwash system right in front of our chicken pens in our yard. That's well past where the county road stops and the easment along with it, or so we thought sigh. That's where the imminant domain comes in. They only have one customer hooking on so there isn't enough pipe or whatever to circulate the water so they will have to come out and purge the pipes right into our chicken pens and yard. Lovely huh?

 

[watcher]

On the dynamiting. Unless the company is full of morons you'll probably have a hard time telling when they set off a charge. Here's how they usually do it. The bring in a drilling rig and drill a series of holes. Next they place the charges in the holes and backfill the holes. When it comes time to set off the charges they cover the hole with dirt and will sometimes place the bucket of a frontend loader over that. They should only do one charge at a time not a chain like you see at a mind. The reason they are blasting is to break up the rock so they want all the force they can to stay in the ground.

The noisiest part of the entire thing will be the drilling for the holes.

As for not having enough money to buy a horizontal drill. I don't (forgive the pun) buy it. Blasting is usually the more expensive option by far.

On the legal front. You can try but the odds are you aren't going to win. The only real hope you might have is if the county/city didn't do and file an EPA impact study on how the constriction and blasting will affect the water quality in the creek.

About the livestock. To you they maybe pets but in the eyes of the courts they are livestock and if injured or killed you will only get the price of replacement livestock. Check with your local animal control officer (if you have one) to see which animals are livestock and which can be or are classified as pets.

 

[wolfhavyn]

watcher...thanks for the advice, you might have given me a little piece of mind and I thank you for that. DH is contacting the EPA and the KY waterway alliance tomorrow first thing. As for my animals I am hopeful that all I get is a temporary lurtch in egg production but as soon as I get home from work tomorrow I will be doing a complete head count of every duck, chicken, goose and rabbit.

 

[DrippingSprings]

They brought "city water" into my grandparents area. Everyone already had wells that were working fine. They assumed only those building new homes would want it and or need it. Then next thing you know they make garbage pickup mandatory, then the water. So my grandparents pay a minimum fee of 42 dollars a month for water/garbage pickup that they dont use and didnt want. And they had to pay 600 for the meter.

 

[MicheleMomof4]

Here even if you don't hook up, you still have to pay the assessment. To the tune of $35,000 to $60,000 depending on the lot size and location. You don't pay it then they put a lien on your property. Doesn't matter if you ever hook up and use them. Crazy isn't it? Can't wait to move.
I hope your animals all stay safe and sound!
God Bless,
Michele

 

[FiddleKat]

i dont think they are gonna use so much explosive to blow every thing up they will only use enough to crack the rocks and then remove them. i wouldnt think it would cause your livestock to have a heart attack all you will hear is a low sounding thud. you are thinking way to big of a explosion im sure the contractor thats doing it has done it many times before and if they blew every thing to smither reans then they would be out of business. im sure there has been gun shots in the area before i wonder how many animals you lost when that happened. sometimes animals have more since than people do they arent as scared as most think. and if you need water then just hold your ears and shut your eyes it will be over in a split second.

The OP stated she has rabbits. I can tell you rabbits have very SENSITIVE hearing!! I would be worried about even low impact exploxsions! Even gunshot within a close range too. And I believe she said all of this is only fourty feet away?!

 

[Wolf mom]

You wrote of talking to an attorney. Is there some kind of temorary ceace & desist order he can get?? That would allow you all more time to get your ducks in a row to fight this.

 

[wolfhavyn]

Michele and Dripping Springs, I am really worried about being made to pay a hookup fee for this water that I don't want or need. I too have heard of several families in this area that have been made to do that even if they have a well and never actually hook up.

Fiddlecat, thanks for mentioning the rabbits. They are who I am more worried about because of their sensitivity. My mother has bred rabbits for years and occasionaly loses one or two to heart attacks when the caves under her property drop rocks. That's only a soft thump and shudder and yet whenever it happens (not real often thank goodness) she'll lose a couple. I'm hoping they'll give us enough warning to get them into the house somehow. Although I'm not sure that would help them overmuch....sigh

Wolf Mom, I am hoping that DH talked to a lawyer today. Haven't been able to talk to him yet to see what's going on. A temporary stay order was something that he was going to ask about.

Wish me luck on this guys. To me it seems like a classic case of "progress" which I would rather term urban sprawl.

Maeghan

 

[MicheleMomof4]

Michele and Dripping Springs, I am really worried about being made to pay a hookup fee for this water that I don't want or need. I too have heard of several families in this area that have been made to do that even if they have a well and never actually hook up.

Maeghan,
Here their idea about this that it 'better' for the water table. Uh ok. LOL Our assessments aren't due to roll in here on our side of the city for another 7 years. We will be long gone, see ya later suckers. LOL
But your concern is a very real one. It is happening in cities all over and now in rural areas. My thing is if you want to hook up, fine......then you pay them. But everyone paying for something they don't want is senseless. But thats our government for ya, right? If it made sense then they wouldn't have their hands in it.
I hope you are able to get somewhere with them.
God Bless,
Michele

 

[mare]

i dont know if they can make you pay for a hook up that you dont do but they will charge you per foot for frontage. when you sell you will have to pay the hook up fee.